It’s not hard to remember Nike, the scaredy-cat little blue pittie with

the cropped ears who cowered behind the adoption desk and watched

the world go by fearfully. Despite her gentle nature, she managed to

capture everyone’s hearts with her sweet curiosity and timid desire to

love.

Nike came into the shelter in September of 2013 as a stray. We had no

idea where she came from or what her life was like before she stum-

bled into our hearts. Poor Nike was covered in mange and terrified of

the new life she’d found herself living. She was nervous around the hu-

mans who reached out to her, frightened of going on walks and spent

most of her time huddled up in her kennel run.

In an effort to help her overcome her nervous skittishness, Nike was

moved to her own luxury accommodations in the Animal Behavior

Consultant’s office. In her own, private kennel and with the help of

Nike

March 1, 2014

Volume 13, Issue 13

Pet Tails

Inside this issue:

Nike (continued) 2

Stray Cats 3

Facebook/Twitter 3

Spring Safety 4

Outreach/ Foster Parents/

Special Events

5

Ask the Behavior Guy 6

Animal Spotlight 7

Some Animal Facts 7

Get to Know Your Breed 8

A Call to All Adoption Coun-

selors

9

Effective Counseling 9

Meet the Staff 10

Meet the Officers 10

Meet the Volunteers 11

Volunteer Opportunities

and Miscellaneous

12

Virginia Beach Animal

Care & Adoption Center

some anxiety medication prescribed by Dr. McKendry, Nike began the slow process of learning

to trust people again.

She could often be found gently accepting treats and lounging on her cushion behind the adop-

tion desk so that she could gain new experiences and interact with lots of different people. It

took no time at all for Nike to win over the hearts of staff and volunteers alike.

As the New Year dawned, Nike was finally ready to move beyond the shelter and into a foster

home. And there, luck and fate would find her!

Mid-January, a family came into the shelter looking for a playmate for their dog Diesel. He was

a sweet boy who loved all sorts of people but he was a little picky when it came to puppy play-

mates. They had originally come to the shelter to meet Blitzen, a three-year-old pittie but his

boyish ways were just a little too much for Diesel to handle.

As the family left, a little disappointed, one of the clerks, Aimee, suggested Nike. As luck

would have it, Diesel was Nike’s foster family’s very first foster dog. Nike was now their tenth.

They agreed to do a meet and greet that very afternoon and it was love at first sight! Nike

and Diesel hit it off instantly and Nike’s sweet, gentle ways won over his people.

Nike is now living the good life. She has a peppy older brother she adores and who shows her

how to give and receive love, and a family that dotes on her. They shared that she’s still a little

skittish and nervous about leash walking but they’re hoping that with a little more time, pa-

tience and love, Nike will get the hang of it.

After all, with four months, a little patience and a lot of love, Nike got her happy ending.

Nike (cont.)

Volume 13, Issue 13 Page 3

Stray Cats

There are a few reasons cats end up free to roam around the city. For some they are allowed to run

free when their owners allow the cat(s) to go outside unattended and uncontained. Other cats are

turned free and left behind when their owners move. Either situation feeds the city’s feral cat

problem. Virginia Beach City Code 5-530 regulates it is unlawful for any dog or cat to run at large

off the property of its owner or custodian. Besides being unlawful there are other reasons an own-

er should not allow their beloved pet to run free:

-Intact cats reproducing are adding to the already “unwanted” pool of cats.

-Kittens born without a home will grow without human interaction and will grow to be feral (wild)

cats. These kittens will go on and continue to reproduce more feral kittens.

-Protection of the animal: could get hit by a car, injuries from fighting with other cats/wildlife can

turn significant as a small puncture can become infected and cause great problems, ingest a toxin.

-Neighbors do not appreciate someone else’s cat on their vehicles or going to the bathroom in their

yards, and may contain or trap them for Animal Control to impound.

-Animal Control can become involved and pick up the stray cat and the owner will pay impound fees

to get the animal back and may face criminal charges for the unlawful act of letting the cat run

free.

When someone is moving and cannot take their cat along, the best thing to do is find a new home for

the animal. It is unacceptable and unlawful to turn a cat loose and let a domesticated animal fend

for itself when the owner moves. If a new owner cannot be secured prior to the move, the animal

should be taken to any of the local animal shelters in the area as a last resort type situation.

As with dogs, cats should also wear collars and display rabies and city tags. Rabies and city tags are

required to remain current on a cat. Honest accidents do happen at times where a cat may slip out

of the home. ID tags attached to collars, implanting and registering microchips are important tools

to help get a lost cat back to his/her owner.

Have you “liked” us on Facebook? Do you follow us on Twitter? One of the easiest ways for us to let potential adopters

know about the many adoptable pets at the shelter is by using social media. We post information about adoptables and

current events at the shelter. So join the 2050 people already “liking” us on Facebook and our 601 Twitter “followers”

as we get the word out! Find us at www.facebook.com/VBanimalcareandadoptioncenter and @adoptablePetsVB on Twit-

ter and join in the conversations, and while you’re at it, invite your friends too. The more who know, the better the ani-

mals have at finding FURever homes!

GIVE US A “LIKE!”

Spring Safety

Spring is coming (although slowly!) to the Hampton Roads area. It’s important to adjust your mind-

set and habits for adequate pet safety this time of year. Spring is full of flowers, cleaning, and in-

sects! Consider the tips and warnings below as you prepare for this coming spring:

Plan for the coming tick and flea season! Check with your vet about prevention options. Do NOT use

animal-only products with the wrong animal! Dog-only medication can be lethal to cats based on cer-

tain ingredients that are perfectly safe for dogs, and vice versa.

Keep all pets with proper identification. ID tag and microchip go together without question!

Take your pet for a normal checkup and grooming.

Launder bedding and winter clothes with non-perfume detergent or soap and warm water before

storage.

Keep windows screened and the screens shut!

Be weary of dangerous chemicals used around the house, such as NPK fertilizer, which is toxic to

animals, causing internal and external irritations.

Watch dogs for signs of seasonal allergies.

Lilies are TOXIC to cats and cause kidney failure!

Easter grass can cause intestinal obstruction.

Be weary of proper storage for fishing hooks and lines.

Make sure all collars and leashes fit appropriately for your animal, and keep dogs leashed when out-

side.

Never leave a pet unattended in the car or pool!

Volume 13, Issue 13 Page 4

Volume 13, Issue 13 Page 5

Outreach/ Foster Parents/ Special Events

Outreach

2014 is off with a bang in the Community Outreach Department here at the VBACAC! We have already

hosted a few tours and talks at the shelter and we have several more planned for March.

On Thursday night, February 13th, Shelter Operations Supervisor Wayne Gilbert, Adult Volunteer Co-

ordinator Jean Deliz, Youth Volunteer Coordinator Scott Crocker, Volunteer Pam Eaton, and Animal

Control Officer Jane Cason spoke to VBPD Explorer 911 Post at Police Headquarters. The purpose of

our talk was to get this group of 14-21 year old men and women interested in volunteering at the shel-

ter to help them earn community service hours. Many of the almost 30 young people who attended

expressed interest and plan on attending a special orientation on March 27th.

Foster Parents

Kitten season is quickly approaching and we are going to need some more foster homes to help take care

of the influx of the little kitties that we will receive starting soon. Fostering is a great way to help an

animal's life in many ways as they travel on their road to a FURever home. If you are interested in be-

coming a foster parent, please contact Supervisor Wayne Gilbert at 385-7478.

Special Events

There are two new year round special events that have recently taken off. The first is a "Birthday

Month Special." If someone comes to the shelter to adopt during their birthday month, then they will

receive a special 1/2 off adoption price! All they have to do is show us proof of their birthday, be eligi-

ble to adopt, and then take advantage of the special.

The second is that on every last weekend of the month, all animals in foster care will be 1/2 off! The

animals do not need to be at the shelter for the adopter to take advantage, all they have to do is just

complete the adoption during the last Saturday or Sunday of the month.

And please do not forget that every Wednesday is Senior Adoption Day!

If you have ideas for the Special Events team to consider, please contact Wayne Gilbert at 385-7478.

Playful, fun, loves to play, loves children, fetches, sweet, cuddles, hugs, funny, lap dog, great

dog…these are descriptors we often hear satisfied pet parents use when talking about their

pets. But is this how those relinquishing their pets talk? Recent research at the ASPCA has

found that yes – it is.

ASPCA researchers conducted a study of 150 pet parents relinquishing their large dogs either

at the Washington Humane Society (who handles D.C. animal control) or Animal Care & Control

of New York City. The goal was to see if they could identify a subset of relinquishment reasons

that they may be able to develop solutions for. They are currently developing some programs

to address those reasons but have reported on some interesting findings.

One of the findings was the answers that relinquishers gave to the question “What do you like

best about the dog?” One of the top answers given was “that he cuddles”. One respondent

mentioned that she liked that Max loved belly rubs. Jack’s relinquisher loved that Jack was so

welcoming. Jezelle’s relinquisher liked best that she was loving. We know that life events im-

pact our ability to have pets: if the owner could have found temporary housing that allowed

pets, if the owner could find a roommate so he could afford to keep a dog, etc.

I know what you’re thinking… if that were me, I’d find a way to keep my dog. Maybe. Maybe

not. And maybe you have means and ways that they do not…

It is very easy for us humans to get caught up in emotions when animals are surrendered to the

shelter. The sad reality is that the relinquisher is at a point in their life where the responsibil-

ity of being a pet guardian is beyond their ability and/or motivation. However, the research

conducted over the past 15 years shows that relinquishers struggled with the decision to give

up their pet and are not making the decision lightly. Many of them had looked for other options

before coming to the shelter.

So what can we do? Avoid second-guessing of a relinquisher’s decision and channel energy to-

ward proactive measures such as: promote and advocate for responsible pet ownership, em-

brace and support those who are unable to keep a pet, provide community solutions for afford-

able pet care, and increased humane education. And hopefully, we can keep the Maxs, Jacks &

Jezelles in their homes getting their belly rubs.

Got a question you would like addressed in a future newsletter? Email the Behavior Guy at lca-

sino@vbgov.com

Page 6 Pet Tails

Ask the Behavior Guy

A giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial stand-ing at 16—20 feet tall and weighs an average 3,500 lbs.

Their knees are structurally equivalent to the human wrist.

Their neck vertebrae have ball and socket joints.

Giraffes carry their babies 460 days before birth.

Giraffes have unusually long life spans (25 years) in the wild because of their size, eye-sight, and powerful kicks.

“Louie” - Crooked-tail DSH 1311-1306

Louie a giant bundle of charm & sweetness. This hand-some two-year-old weighs 18 pounds, and every ounce is full of love! You'll notice his crimped tail right away, but it doesn't bother him! He’s hanging out in the male cat col-ony waiting for his FURever home.

“Raven”- Lab mix 1402-0725

Take a minute and check out this "mature" lady of about

10+ years. Raven was an owner surrender due to circum-

stances beyond their control. She was loved and her own-

ers left us lots of information on her. They say she is very

house trained and she will "go" when told. She is good with other dogs and kids but doesn't love cats.

“Dazzle”- American Short Coat 1310-0442

Dazzle is sweet and easy to handle. She is young and would make a great pet. Dazzle would love boxes and mazes to hop through.

Page 7 Pet Tails

Chinchillas are native to the Andes moun-tains in South America.

They are listed as a critically endangered spe-cies because of hunting by humans.

Those used for their fur are now farm raised.

They are agile jumpers, jumping up to 6 ft.

Chinchillas are not able to sweat so they dis-sipate heat through their ears.

They eat and drink in very small amounts. In the wild they eat desert grasses so a healthy diet is important.

American Paint

‘This breed shares ancestry with

the American Quarter horse and

Thoroughbred . It can be traced

back to the Spanish explorers.

The colorful coat pattern is

essential to the identity of the

breed.

The breed is muscular with

powerful hindquarters suitable

for rapid acceleration and

sprinting.

Paint or Pinto—Paint is the breed

and pinto is a coat color registry.

Each horse has a unique

combination of white and any one

color from the equine rainbow.

25,000 foals are registered

each year.

Chow

The chow is thought to be one

of the oldest recognizable

breeds. Research indicates that

it evolved from the wolf.

They were used as war dogs in

Mongolia and China. One ruler

was said to own 5,000.

They are fiercely protective of

family and property.

Because of their strong hunting

instincts they should be kept

away from cats and small dogs.

Chows must be trained and so-

cialized as young puppies.

Chows were very popular during

the roaring twenties.

They are distinguished by the

unusual blue-black tongue and

very straight hind legs.

Pet Tails Page 8

A CALL TO ALL VOLUNTEER ADOPTION COUNSELORS

Our target date for the start of the adoption counselor schedule is Saturday, March 15th. On

that date, we will have youth volunteers as greeters at the door in the lobby, and youth volun-

teers as shelter guides to help visitors navigate the shelter. The hope is to have YOU, the

adoption counselor, in the shelter to be available to assist the public in adopting.

You may be reading this before or after March 15th, but this will be an ongoing venture, so, at

any time you can sign up at the front desk, or e-mail me depending on your availability. One

hour time slots, to start, would help tremendously.

We all have different reasons for volunteering , and you have to admit it can be the best ther-

apy for what ails you, without a co-pay. But, the final goal is the same for all of us, to help the

animals get adopted into the RIGHT home for them.

I hope you will consider devoting a part of your time at the shelter, to being there for the

public and devoting your full attention to assisting the public. When that adoption you are

helping with happens, it will be one of the best feelings you can experience.

Christine Shultis

Adoption Counselor Coordinator

Page 9 Pet Tails

Includes good Customer Service.

To make the first encounter with the public more meaningful, here are a few suggestions:

Plan to give the potential adopter your exclusive time and attention. Listen to what they

have to say.

Always be respectful.

Find out what their expectations are in a pet, high/low energy, are there other pets in the

house or will this be the only one?

This information will help you to help the adopter make a better choice for their future pet

companion.

Effective Adoption Counseling ...

Volume 13, Issue 13 Page 10

Meet the Officers

Meet Animal Control Officer Alison Donahue...

Officer Donahue hired into the Virginia Beach Animal Enforce-

ment Team in 2012. She thoroughly enjoys being a voice for mis-

treated animals and keeping stray pets out of harm’s way, alt-

hough she states her wildlife calls are often the most exciting

and challenging. Officer Donahue claims there are always going

to be hard days, but for her the good things outweigh the hard

times.

Officer Donahue has convinced her family to help with the city’s

sometimes overwhelming need for kitten fosters by fostering

kittens. She and her family enjoy watching the little kittens

bloom into “healthy, happy fuzz balls” – ready to graduate into

homes of their own.

Her home is currently blessed with a Silky Terrier, Samantha,

who has been the perfect family dog/kitten playmate and a lion-

head rabbit, Monty, who she says delights her with bunny kisses and follows her around like a puppy.

Horses are Officer Donahue’s greatest passion and her best stress relief. She states every activity is

better with a horse and she has often been accused of having a one track mind towards more horse

time.

Officer Donahue loves being outside around animals all day long and she is satisfied to know she can

help the citizens and animals of the city. She looks forward to many more years of learning and serv-

ing.

Meet the Staff

Meet Animal Caretaker, Linda Hallmark … Linda has lived in Virginia Beach most of her life. Linda

will be celebrating her 10-year anniversary of working as an Animal Caretaker as of April 1. She is

the most senior caretaker and maintains inventory of all kennel supplies and species-appropriate

animal feed. She is certified in CPR for animals and is expertly trained to drive the Emergency Pet

Sheltering Trailer.

Linda received a class act award because of her work with one of the shelter dogs named Rhiley. Rhiley

was in the kennel from March 2, 2006 through May 27, 2006. He had been a victim of animal cruelty.

Linda exercised Rhiley on a daily basis and showed him the love that he had been missing from his origi-

nal owner. She spent extra time training this dog to sit, stay, and walk beside the person who was tak-

ing him for a walk. Because of this treatment, Rhiley learned how to be a loving animal and not to fall

into depression because of his former treatment.

Linda, also, received a class act award for serving on a safety committee to reduce injury in the unit. After due dili-

gence, the committee’s recommendations reduced the injuries by 66%, reduced the number of lost days of work by

95%, and reduced benefits paid by 94%, which saved the city $200,000.

Linda loves and cares for all the animals that come into the shelter. She feels this is her calling in life … helping animals

that come to the shelter and being the voice for the animals as they do need the help. Her favorite part of her job is

seeing these animals going to loving homes.

Volume 13, Issue 13 Page 11

Meet the Volunteers

Meet volunteers Paula and Jessica Backus … Paula, an analyst with Dominion Virginia Power

since 1994, visited the shelter for

many years before she started volun-

teering in March of 2013. Paula grew

up in the Pembroke area of Virginia

Beach being one of six children. She

has been married for 23 years and

has four “beautiful” children. Her son

is a US Marine, one daughter is in col-

lege aspiring to be in the CIA, and

she still has two children in high

school, one of which is Jessica whom

is highlighted below. Paula always

found the stray, neglected, broken,

unadoptable pet to bring home and

save. Paula has a passion to rehabili-

tate the neglected, abused, and over-

bred dog. She wants to show them that all humans are not bad.

Jessica Backus is Paula’s 17-year-old daughter and she is a junior at Ocean Lakes High

School. Jessica is a Color Guard with the Marching Dolphins, a Thespian of the Ocean Lakes

Theatre Company, Vice President of FCCLA (Family Career Community Leaders of America),

and a board member of the girls’ empowerment club. Jessica wants to be a veterinarian and

would like to one day run a successful rescue, shelter, & veterinarian clinic for all animals. She

started with Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center in March of 2013. Jessica volun-

teered during the summer of 2013 during all operational hours assisting the clerks and care-

takers with adoptions & paperwork requirements. She also mentored and trained new youth

and adult volunteers.

Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center

341 S. Birdneck Road

Virginia Beach, VA 23451

It’s the Law Did you know … Any locality may regulate by ordi-

nance the keeping of animals or fowl, other than

dogs or cats, within a certain distance of resi-

dences.

Do you have a suggestion?

We’d like to hear it.

Please drop off sugges-

tions in our suggestion box

and we’ll post the sugges-

tion and the response in our newsletter.

Phone: 757-385-4444

Fax: 757-227-9687

E-mail: VBPDAC@vbgov.com

Volunteer

Opportunities:

Do you love animals and

want to give back to the

community? We have the

answer for you there are

many ways that you can

help, from walking dogs,

cuddling cats or advertising

pets that are up for

adoption. We also are in

need of foster homes to

increase the amount of

animals that we can serve.

Listed below are

volunteer opportunities…

Cat Room Volunteer

Dog Walker

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Jean Deliz at policeanimalsheltervol@vbgov.com. She’ll be

looking forward to hearing from you.

Volunteer Front Desk

Greeter

Newsletter Team Member

Adoption Counselor

PetsMart Cat Center Vol-

unteer

Foster Parent

Animal Transporter

Pet Portal (Petfinder)

Call Center Volunteer

Lost/Found Assistance

Volunteer

Small Animal Companion-

ship

Special Events Volunteer

Vet Assistant

Youth Mentor

Adoption Follow-ups

Hours of Operation:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday — 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. (reclaims only)

Thursday — 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Shelter Statistics Jan

2014 Feb

2013

Feb

2014

Jan

2013

Dogs Impounded 253 269 251 306

Dogs Reclaimed 137 150 124 130

Dogs Adopted 89 121 100 109

Dogs Transferred 7 22 16 22

Cats Impounded 186 182 119 182

Cats Reclaimed 14 14 8 14

Cats Adopted 96 104 87 104

Cats Transferred 6 5 2 5

Other Companions Impounded 186 17 4 17

Other Companions Reclaimed 0 1 0 1

Other Companions Adopted 12 5 19 5

Other Companions Transferred 1 4 0 4